Actress Who Has Been Playing the Same Character on TV for 21 Years — Since She Was 16 Years Old — Calls It Quits

An actress who has portrayed the same character on a long-running series for 21 years is leaving the show. The Los Angeles Times’ Show Tracker reports that Alison Sweeney, who plays Sami Brady on “Days of Our Lives,” made the announcement during an appearance this week on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”

Sweeney grew up on TV, starting on the soap when she was 16 years old. She said she will leave after the end of this year.

“I’ve been on ‘Days of Our Lives’ since I was 16 years old, and I have never had more than a two-week vacation in that whole time," she said.

Sweeney added that while she loves the show, the character and the fans, she wants to spend more time with her children, who are now 5 and 9.

Sweeney won’t be leaving TV, however, the story notes. She has also worked as the host of NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” for the past seven years.

She said she isn’t sure how her character will leave the show. “It would be awesome to have some sort of happy ending, but then I also think maybe Sami deserves some sort of twisted, ‘Breaking Bad’ ending,” she said.